USDC | Crypto

The new card lets users spend USDC balances through online, in-store and contactless transactions while accessing ATM withdrawals in supported regions. Layer-1 blockchain developer Solayer launched a Visa-compatible payment card that allows users to spend USDC balances through in-store, online and contactless transactions. The card supports ATM withdrawals in supported regions and can be ordered through the Solayer Pay app, according to the announcement. Existing users can request the card for free, while new users pay a $20 annual activation fee. Source: Solayer Pay Read more

Circle raised $222 million in an ARC token presale led by a16z Crypto as Q1 revenue hit $694 million and USDC circulation climbed to $77 billion. Circle Internet Group agreed to sell 740 million ARC tokens for $222 million in a private placement led by a16z Crypto, valuing the Arc blockchain network at $3 billion on a fully diluted basis. The New York Stock Exchange-listed issuer of the USDC stablecoin disclosed the token presale Monday alongside its first-quarter 2026 results, which showed higher revenue and reserve income but lower net income. The round was led by a16z Crypto and backed by a consortium including BlackRock, Apollo Funds, ARK Invest, Bullish, General Catalyst, Haun Ventures, Intercontinental Exchange, IDG Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Marshall Wace, SBI Group and Standard Chartered Ventures. Read more

The new tools let AI agents hold wallets, discover services and make programmable USDC payments across blockchain networks. Circle launched a suite of tools designed to let AI agents hold wallets, discover services and make programmable payments using USDC, as companies race to build financial infrastructure for autonomous software systems. The products, released under Circle’s new “Agent Stack,” include agent-focused wallets, a command-line developer interface, a marketplace for agentic services and a nanopayments protocol for machine-to-machine transactions. Circle said the nanopayments infrastructure supports gas-free USDC (USDC) transfers as small as $0.000001 and is designed for high-frequency autonomous payment flows between software systems. Read more

Meta has launched USDC creator payouts on Solana and Polygon. No confirmed SOL price spike yet — here's the technical breakdown, three price scenarios, and what the infrastructure shift signals for early-stage crypto investors. The post Did Mark Zuckerberg Just Pick Solana? Meta Backs New Blockchains for USDC appeared first on Cryptonews.

Libra launched in 2019, rebranded to Diem, and sold its blockchain assets to Silvergate Bank in 2022, three years of work that ended when regulators pushed back, and bank partners withdrew. On Apr. 29, Meta announced USDC payouts to eligible creators through compatible crypto wallets on Solana and Polygon, starting with selected creators in Colombia […] The post Meta’s USDC pilot shows how stablecoins could capture billions in creator payouts appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A negative Bitcoin funding rate and $7.5 billion in USDC reserves suggest traders may start positioning against the bearish trend. Will BTC price keep rising? Bitcoin (BTC) has rallied 30% since its 2026 low of $60,000, and stablecoin balances on exchanges suggest the market has entered a disbelief phase, with roughly $7.5 billion in USDC on Binance highlighting readily deployable capital that traders could start positioning soon. Data show that derivatives market positioning has not kept pace with the bullish price trend. Crypto analyst Darkfost tracked the 30-day cumulative funding rate, which aggregates funding over time to reveal sustained positioning. The metric stands near -4.5%, reflecting a prolonged bearish bias against the current move. The analyst explained that the negative funding creates conditions that incentivize traders to take the opposite side. Read more

Nium integrates Coinbase’s infrastructure to enable USDC-based cross-border payments, allowing businesses to settle in fiat or stablecoins without relying on prefunded accounts. Singapore fintech Nium has selected Coinbase to integrate USDC payments into its global network to send, receive and convert stablecoins to fiat across more than 190 countries through a single platform. According to a Tuesday announcement, the integration uses Coinbase’s infrastructure for custody, liquidity and wallet services, enabling Nium’s customers to fund cross-border payouts in USDC and settle in either stablecoins or local currencies. Traditional cross-border payment systems often require companies to prefund accounts across multiple jurisdictions, tying up capital while transactions settle across time zones and banking networks, Santhosh Srinivasan, VP of Treasury at Nium, told Cointelegraph. Read more

Polymarket’s plan to roll out its own collateral token sounds, at first glance, like the kind of move that should eat into Circle's USDC. A platform swaps out USDC.e, introduces Polymarket USD, and the obvious retail question follows almost immediately: Does that mean less demand for USDC? The short answer is no. Polymarket USD is […] The post What will happen to USDC now Polymarket is launching its own stablecoin? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Polymarket is upgrading its exchange infrastructure in the coming weeks, introducing new contracts and a USDC-backed token while phasing out a bridged stablecoin. Prediction platform Polymarket is overhauling its exchange infrastructure in the coming weeks, introducing a new collateral token and upgraded trading system that give the platform greater control over settlement and risk as it moves toward closer alignment with US regulatory expectations. In an announcement on Monday, Polymarket said it will deploy new exchange contracts — dubbed version 2 — designed to simplify how orders are structured and matched. The upgrade is intended to make trading more efficient and to make it easier for developers to connect apps and trading bots to the platform. The new system will also support EIP-1271, an Ethereum standard that allows smart contract-based wallets, such as multisigs and automated trading systems, to sign transactions, expanding compatibility beyond traditional wallets. Read more

Circle's biggest selling point may be becoming its biggest liability. On-chain investigator ZachXBT's “Circle Files” allege that the USDC issuer has inconsistently applied its freeze powers. Circle was too slow in 15 cases involving more than $420 million in allegedly illicit funds since 2022, yet broad enough to sweep 16 operational business wallets in a […] The post Circle’s USDC freeze power faces fresh scrutiny after wallets were blocked while stolen funds moved appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Stablecoin issuer Circle is facing mounting scrutiny from blockchain researchers after millions of USD Coin (USDC) were stolen and flowed unimpeded through its proprietary bridge during the $285 million exploit of the Solana-based Drift Protocol. The inaction during the April 1 attack, which is now the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) hack of 2026, stands in […] The post Circle under fire as $230M in stolen USDC flows unblocked days after freezing legitimate accounts appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Toobit is a popular, award-winning cryptocurrency exchange with an international presence. Just recently, the venue announced a new high-yield opportunity window for USDC – the second-largest stablecoin in the industry. What You Need to Know Beginning on April 7th, Toobit will offer a 30% annual percentage rate (APR) for USDC fixed earn. This is a […]

Stablecoins dominated crypto trading in Q1 as investors sought safety, while rising bot usage and declining retail flows pointed to shifting market dynamics, according to CEX.io. Stablecoins were a rare bright spot in an otherwise subdued crypto market in the first quarter, with supply growth and transaction activity pointing to sustained demand even as broader market conditions weakened. Total stablecoin supply increased by roughly $8 billion to a record $315 billion in Q1, according to data from CEX.IO. Although this marked the slowest pace of expansion since Q4 of 2023, it still represented growth during a period when the wider crypto market contracted. The data suggests investors rotated into stablecoins as a defensive strategy, boosting their share of overall market activity. Stablecoins accounted for 75% of total crypto trading volume during the quarter — the highest level on record. Read more

Drift said a durable nonce attack helped drive its Solana exploit, as critics questioned why stolen USDC moved for hours without a freeze. Drift Protocol, a Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX), confirmed Thursday it was targeted in a roughly $280 million exploit, describing it as a “highly sophisticated operation.” The platform took to X on to share its findings from a preliminary investigation, saying that the attackers exploited Solana’s durable nonces, a mechanism enabling pre-signed transactions, to seize control and drain funds. The protocol had earlier said it was experiencing an active attack and suspended deposits and withdrawals while coordinating with security firms, bridges and exchanges. The attack began on Wednesday, with the theft involving multiple assets, including Circle’s USDC (USDC) and various altcoins. Onchain data later showed that the exploiter swapped the majority of assets into USDC, with the funds later bridged to Ethereum. Read more

USDC adoption hinges on volume, not circulation, the bank said

The move aims to integrate the second-biggest dollar-pegged stablecoin into regional payment networks to improve cross-border transactions and remittances. Circle is partnering with Sasai Fintech to expand the use of its USDC stablecoin across African payment corridors, targeting remittances, business transactions and mobile wallet services. According to Tuesday’s announcement, collaboration will integrate the second-biggest stablecoin into Sasai’s existing payments infrastructure, which supports cross-border transfers, enterprise payments and consumer wallets, with the aim of reducing costs and settlement times. Sasai operates across multiple African markets, providing digital payments services that will integrate with Circle’s onchain infrastructure. Read more

SBI VC Trade said users could lend assets directly to its platform, but added that the company may re-lend funds as part of its operations. SBI Holdings’ digital asset arm, SBI VC Trade, said it will launch a USDC lending service in Japan on Thursday, allowing retail users to lend stablecoins to the platform under fixed-term agreements in exchange for returns. On Wednesday, the company said users will be able to lend Circle’s USDC (USDC) stablecoin to the platform and receive interest payments, with a maximum application of 5,000 USDC per offering. The product is structured as a loan to SBI VC Trade rather than a deposit, meaning users take direct counterparty risk. SBI said it may also re-lend the borrowed USDC as part of its operations. The launch marks a further step in Japan’s stablecoin rollout, bringing a consumer-accessible USDC yield product to market through a licensed domestic platform. Read more

Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) has officially unseated Tether’s USDT in transfer volume for the first time in seven years. The shift marks a defining moment for digital assets, cleanly splitting stablecoin leadership into two distinct categories: total supply and transactional velocity. While Tether remains the undisputed heavyweight in the stablecoin market, USDC has become the […] The post Tether still holds more cash, but Circle’s USDC is now moving more of crypto’s money appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A quiet shift is underway in the stablecoin hierarchy. While Tether’s USDT still dominates the digital dollar market, the gap between the two largest issuers is narrowing as USDC steadily expands its footprint and Tether’s growth shows signs of softening. Additionally, USDC is gaining ground in the places where the next wave of crypto money […] The post Tether’s stablecoin supremacy under threat as USDC closes the gap after market cap explosion appeared first on CryptoSlate.

USDC’s market cap is approaching a record $80 billion, with one analyst linking the surge to capital flight and turmoil in Dubai’s real estate market. The market capitalization of the USDC stablecoin is approaching a record high near $80 billion as demand surges in the Middle East, with one analyst linking the spike to capital flight from the United Arab Emirates. According to data from CoinMarketCap, USDC (USDC)’s circulating supply has risen to roughly $79.2 billion, marking a new all-time high for the dollar-pegged stablecoin. The stablecoin’s market cap previously hit a high of below $79 billion in December last year. The increase comes after supply expanded by billions of dollars in recent weeks. The stablecoin’s market cap stood at just over $70 billion in early February and at $75 billion earlier this month. Read more